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When we look at a part of Mark's gospel first chapter, perhaps starting from the 21St verse, from the first chapter of Mark, Mark Gospel chapter one, verse 21. Then they went into Capernaum, and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and stopped, and they were astonished at his doctrine.
Where he taught them as one that had authority.
They're not as described.
Than there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, Let us alone, what have we to do with these? Our Jesus of Nazareth, art thou come to destroy us? I know these who thou art, the Holy One of God.
Can Jesus reduce him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out of him?
And when the unclean spirit had turned him and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him, And they were all amazed in so much as they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is that?
What new doctrine is this?
Where was authority commanded He, even the unclean spirits, And they do obey him.
And immediately estranged spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
And forthwith, when they were coming out of the synagogue, they entered into the House of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
For Simons wife, mother lay sick of his fever, and a non they tell him of her, and he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Benedeva When the sun did that, they brought unto him all they were diseased, and then they were possessed. The devil and all the city was gathered together at the door.
And he healed many that were sick of diverse diseases and cast out many devils, and suffered not the devils to speak because they knew him.
And in the morning rising of the great wild before day.
Dear widow and departed a solitary place, and they're afraid Simon and Lisa were with him, followed after him.
And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. They said unto them, Let us go into the next town, that I may preach there also. For therefore am I became I'm for.
Any preached in the synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leopard to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him. Southern him I will be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was cleansed.
Administrative charged him, and forthwith sent him away, and said unto him, See thou say nothing to any man, but go thy way. Show thyself to the priests, and offers of the cleansing, thy cleansing those things that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.
But he went on and began to publish it much and the blaze abroad the matter influence that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places, and they came to him from every quarter.
Believe we have the person of the Lord Jesus before us in this passage, and the person of the Lord Jesus sets before us the path of faith.
Dependence and obedience being its character, you perhaps remember that him writer Kurt Stegan.
And he made this comment.
Across the will of nature lies the path of God.
Now it's natural for us to follow our own hearts.
But we have to be instructed from the word of God.
And how much better could we do than to follow the path of our blessed Savior, as Peter says, to follow in his steps?
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Here we have the Lord Jesus in a peculiar different way than from we have what we have in the other Gospels. He's seen as the servant Son of God.
Servant Son of God in this book.
And so that there are particular things outstanding in regard to service here that we should notice because it's in this very same book that he says he appointed to every man his work.
And so it doesn't leave any Christian out.
The great thing is to discover the particular work that the Lord wants us to do. It might be prayer, it might be visiting, it might be preaching, it might be simply having that confidence. Cast not away there for your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. But whatever it is, we find the pattern of it in the blessed Savior.
Now in this chapter we have the early days, possibly the first few days of his service.
John the Baptist been put in prison.
And as soon as he's put in prison, the Lord begins his service. Because it's in Mark, we get the chronological order.
In a general way of his ministry, that is the events as they happened one after the other.
And so we have a great deal of instruction for the server, but not only for the servant, the general principles that should guide us as Christians.
Down here we've been just hearing about the doctrine of it in the book of Timothy. Here we see the practice of it in the person of the Lord Jesus and how beautiful to trace, especially in this last meeting. Now that which has to do with the person himself.
And that we might walk as he walked, as John says in his epistle.
Now it's true that in Luke's gospel we have the pattern.
In which the enemy approaches the Lord Jesus and the wilderness.
The flesh, the world, and the devil. But in this passage we've read, we find that the devil.
Comes first. He's going to seek to upset the path of the Lord Jesus at the very start, and so we notice that.
In the 21St verse they come to Capernaum. Now that's the Lord's own city. That's where he made his headquarters, at least for a time.
And in the 22nd verse.
Teachers with authority. And now we have a man with an unclean spirit, and he cries out.
Well, it's the power of Satan immediately attacking the power of Satan.
The Lord is speaking with authority.
We find he's just been.
In the wilderness he has withstood that enemy of our soul.
And now he's beginning his ministry sealed for that ministry.
And he speaks with authority.
Now this is important for anyone who would serve the Lord.
To have a sense in their soul that they have been sent, it doesn't matter.
Whether it's to visit your neighbor or whether it's to preach on the street, to have a sense in your soul that you've been sent.
It's been said by another that if you and I have a real sense in our soul that we have been sent, we can be sure that the message we bring will command the consciences of those that hear it.
Because the word of God says, Inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
I make these comments introducing this because I believe that here we have a series of events in the early first days of the ministry of the Lord Jesus that set before us some very practical principles where this was standing the enemy, or whether it's prayer, whatever it is, we have very definite things mentioned here that would be helpful to us.
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In our Christian pathway.
Whatever that pathway may be, and they certainly are buried today, striking in the Gospel of Mark the use of the Word, and we have it over and over again. Notice how many verses in this chapter begin with the Word and almost every chapter in the book begins with the Word and.
For the Lord's service was an uninterrupted service with us. We may be very diligent and then we get discouraged and sort of slow down or give up, and then we start again. But I believe in the pathway of the Lord Jesus and the straightway and forthwith are very noticeable in the Gospel of Mark because the Lord's service was not interrupted service.
Of perfect obedience to his Father's will, always knowing his Father's will.
Always doing it for us. We're not always aware of his will.
We should be, but we are often not near enough to the Lord to discern His will. When we have. There isn't a spiritual energy always to do it, or perhaps there is a delay before we do it. How beautiful to see this perfection in the Lord Jesus.
He went on in that path constantly.
In a general way, one that's enjoyed of thinking of the Gospel of Mark as corresponding to a section of the book of Isaiah, we turn to the 42nd chapter of Isaiah.
It begins with a verse which you can easily see goes along with what's been said.
God had in Israel one who was.
To represent Him down here below, that is supposed to represent God here below. But we know the failure of that people. But now it's as it were that the Christ comes along and he steps into that place of servants.
And perfectly fulfilled that in which Israel had failed. Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect, in whom my soul delighted. I have put my spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. And that goes right through. Oh, you find it in the 49th definitely, and the 53rd we know so well.
And perhaps the 61St, where he reads from that chapter in Luke's gospel.
And so we find Christ now in the little book of Mark. That's perfect servant, the one who is upholding, and as soon as he is sealed with the Spirit, he goes forth in this wonderful field of service. I was just wondering that might correspond to the remarks our brother made this morning about the Hebrew servant. Surely it does well.
Trace steps into that place and brings honor and glory to God. He is uphill.
I like to relate just a striking incident that happened in the Dominican Republic.
In December last when I was there. Generally in that island there is great religious liberty and you can give out tracks and speak to almost everyone and get a pretty nice response, but not always, and this was the exception.
Perhaps about the last day of my visit, we had got into an old taxi. That's the way you travel around the city and they pile on phone until they're running on the riding on the fenders. But.
We have, I have two of my local brethren along and our local brethren are so good at giving the gospel down there. And so they, this young man got in and they gave him a track and.
He turned around and asked this question. He says Why did Jesus wait till he was 30 years old to begin in his servicing? What did he do from the time he was 12 years old? Why did he do something when he was 20 and 25? And so on.
I always leave our local presidents an answer and they are good at it, but they seem to be kind of stumped about it. They just didn't hardly know what to say to him.
So I asked the young man this.
How old was the first man when he was tested? I said you've read your Bible and how old was the first man when he was tested? He couldn't give an answer. You see, we don't know. But he was a whole grown man, wasn't he? The 1St man was a full grown man when he was tested and so was the 2nd man. Jesus began to be about 30 years old and as soon as he was sealed with the Spirit.
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Then in the section we're reading about, he went forth and he showed all the power of God, imperfection, the perfect servant to overcome all the power of the end. That's what we're reading about, isn't it?
Your comments about.
Isaiah.
Are so beautiful in grace.
Because after Israel had failed.
Then God says, thou art my servant, O Israel, and the Lord Jesus takes up that failure.
And beautifully sets forth the perfection of the path of service.
And then when you get to the end of Isaiah again you find.
Him turning the service back over to Israel again and he speaks. These are my servants.
And you'll read, we won't turn to it, but you'll see it in the 63rd chapter and earlier to where the services turn back to Israel again and they will be his witnesses on the earth in the millennial day. Now, I think this is beautiful.
The Lord Jesus first of all, has to show the pattern of true service, because they didn't know it. They weren't even believers. They had turned against their God. But sovereign grace comes in and puts a beautiful example before them. And of course they'll be taught of God. That is, they'll have a new spirit. But then they become his servants.
Well now, isn't that just what he did with us?
We were far off from God and then he saved us and then he set this beautiful pattern before us.
Of the Lord Jesus, and then he sends his disciples forth to serve, and he sends us forth to serve to that's great sovereign grace. But now we see the pattern of it. How are we going to walk? How are we going to serve? Here we have it in our chapter.
Would you also say in connection with the Lord's service beginning at 30, that was when the priests began their public service. Their service was from 30 to 50 in the book of Numbers we find. And so with the Lord Jesus, He spoke as one having authority. He rebuked scribes and Pharisees, and there was a proper.
Age in which a man took the position of responsibility in Israel.
And the Lord Jesus, who is the one who is perfect in everything, followed that pattern that had been marked out. The priest was put in that position publicly at 30. The Lord takes that position at 30 years of age. We certainly are sure that his pathway was perfect up to that point. Bird of God hasn't been pleased to tell us all the details, but we know He was.
The perfect one. Everything about him. He did no sin. He could not sin.
But the public part of the Lord Jesus work began at 30 years of age, didn't it? I think he made a pretty good yoke of oxen tooth for the oxen too, didn't he? When he made, when he was a Carpenter that would fit. And this, this really teaches us, doesn't it, that whether it's making a yolk for oxen or whether it's preaching the gospel.
This, we learn here, is the service of God.
And I believe that we must remember that.
Everyone doesn't take the same place.
But whatever ye do, do it as unto the Lord and.
He's going to reward whatever is done to His name. If I do it for myself and my own interests, it's one thing. But whatever path I am placed in, if I do it to the Lord, I don't do it for the reward. But He's going to reward it because it's done to His name no matter what it is. If I do it to the Lord and it's a path He's put me in, He's going to meet His reward in that day. Is that right?
Servants in the 14th of.
Romans, at least it seems to fit some of us. It begins there with him that is weak in the faith. Well, that's kind of a rebuke. We ought to be strong in the faith, like Abraham giving glory to God. Well, here's the one who is weak in the faith. But what it says about this one in the fourth verse?
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Who art thou that judgest another man's service? You see, we all are in the service. And then it says to his own master, he standeth or false than this. Yeah, he shall be old enough, for God is able to make him to stand.
Does not that even apply to the Lord? By the Spirit we shall whom I uphold, My servant whom I uphold. All the acts of the man, faith, Jesus were in the power of the Spirit.
And we have the same spirit.
Am I going too far there?
Everything that you do, the position on the principle of grace is not real services.
And so he takes the weakest vessels.
Well.
You're saying that the Commendation and.
Too much, but it speaks of some of those kingdoms.
You know, it's a wonderful thing.
To be when the Lord wants us and be there when he wants us.
Now that's more important than seeking out great service.
And that takes waiting upon the Lord, doesn't it? It's not just saying I want to go to a certain place and do a certain thing. We learned that at the end of this chapter.
Everyone was running to hear as far Jesus Allen always said and disciple. I was supposed to power, but where I went back. Why didn't we go to the throne? Just let him hear it. You know that wasn't the fast. Oh how we missed the Lords mind because we're moved by what people say or what you see in our eyes a national sentence.
But it's grace and embrace the wall that enables us to serve directly and service of the Lord and all. How much we have to learn just from this first chat. How much we have to learn to pass the place and how we see our deficiencies in our daily life as we read this first chapter. The first 2-3 days of the Lord's ministers figure out our life.
I think it's very important saying that we should be sent to anything. Go in Isaiah chapter 6 where it says here am I send me. The emphasis is on the word send, not on the word me. Sometimes we take it here am I send me, but the emphasis is on the word sent. He didn't want to go unsent, and you and I should always remember that.
It isn't the need that puts us to work, for there are needs everywhere. It ought to be the call of God. And if we're going to wait for that, it may be like it was with Phillip. There were many that were hearing, many that were being saved. If blessing was the proof that he was sent of God, there was much blessing in Samaria.
But the message was to go down into Gaza, which is desert.
And he arose and went, he was sent to another place. And the important thing was that he was sent, being sent, that he had a message and a service for the Lord to fulfill there. Well, I think that's good for all of us, young or old, to desire to be sent. And I believe if we turn to Galatians chapter 5, we have this point brought before us.
Galatians chapter.
Six, I should say Galatians chapter 6, verse 3. For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone.
And not in another, For every man shall bear his own burden.
I believe that this is taken up from the service of the Levites that we spoke of a few moments ago. The Levites were brought to Aaron, and each one was appointed to his service and to his burden. And the Coethites were the ones who carried the holy vessels. The others, Gershom and Murari, carried. The other vessels were the ones who carried the ark, thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think.
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To undertake that service of carrying the holy vessels and need. The others feel that they were doing an unnecessary work, because they were not given the work of carrying the holy vessels, but another work had been appointed to them. Well, it was a joy that they could have in knowing, just like the Coabites, that they were doing what they had been called to do.
And sometimes we hear people say, oh, I wish I was out in some foreign field preaching the gospel.
As though that were the thing that would be the most important, but for a sister in her home or for a brother in a more quiet work in his own assembly. If that's where the Lord wants him to be, he can have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. That is, instead of saying, oh, I wish I was able to leave home and go to some important work like.
Some foreign field.
No, he says. If that's the word that you're appointed to get before the Lord, discover what that work is. Let every man prove his own work. Then you can have happiness in knowing that you're doing that which has been appointed to you, your service and your burden.
I think it's very possible to go through life without ever discovering what the Lord wanted us to do. But it's a great loss. For God has, for every one of us who are saved in this room this afternoon, a service and a burden. And how happy it would be if each one of us in his presence discovered that and did that. And the service becomes important because of the one who has given us the work to do and that we're doing.
The appointed work, well, it's a very lovely thing that God has brought this before us because.
We measure service by how much it puts us in the public eye. But service that puts us in the public eye is much more dangerous because we're liable to have wrong motives. We're not so likely to have wrong motives for a service that hides us from the public eye. We have to be before the Lord to continue in a work that's unnoticed, like Epiphyrus in prayer.
But we can very lightly want a public place.
And so missed the mind of the Lord. Because we like public service. We like something that puts us before others.
Natural heart wants a place.
Now is the natural thing for the Galatians, wasn't it because they were turning back to law and that would be setting man up into place?
Oh, how different the law is from grace and how much we have retained of the spirit of the law, each one, even though we were never under the law as a people. But it's been said that the law is in every natural heart because of pride. And so we're always thinking of something we can do that will be approved.
Before man by and this is not the path we see here.
Because the Lord Jesus, as he begins his work, He was the servant Son of God. That is, He was the servant of God, not of man, and he did everything regardless.
That which would please his father, regardless of whether men were pleased or not, he always did that which pleased his father. And I believe this is one of the great points we have that that we begin this gospel of Mark that he was the servant son of God.
I can remember an older brother when this was mentioned once that this book gives us the the the servant character. He said remember he said it gives the servant Son of God character.
And I believe that is important to remember for everyone who served that.
We are serving, it's true, we serve our brethren, but the purpose is to serve the Lord, no matter how small the task may be. We serve the Lord because He is the Lord and He appoints to every man his work and were responsible to the Lord. He's the one who rewarded.
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A verse in the 13th chapter I'd like to ask a question about in this gospel Christ. It's been mentioned the 13th of Mark and the 34th verse. I'll just read it.
For the son of mine is as a man picking his, picking a far journey, who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to every man his work, and commanded the Porter to watch. The question is about the authority. As far as I know, it's the only mention that I can find of authority given to us during this time in a very direct way.
And I just wonder what the comments are. What is this authority? Well, I believe it ought to characterize the servant, that he is delivering a message from God. And of course, that is what the authority is. Sometimes we can.
Say I think this or I think that, but where we have the direct word of God, it should be given out with His authority, shouldn't it? And I think it's important we find that as it speaks about the Lord Jesus.
He spoke as one having authority and not as the scribes describes, gave out things and sort of apologized for them. When we give out the truth of God, we ought not to make any apologies for it. It's the truth that's given out as the word of God.
In that connection.
We could have just turned to Matthew's Gospel the the 9th chapter.
And the 38th verse.
And it's connected with the multitudes and their need and the disciples ministry. And so he says, pray there for the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest. I connect that with the verse that you have just called our attention to. Now there is such a thing as praying to the Lord of the harvest because it's His work and He's appointing His servants.
I don't mean to be legal about it. We pray to God and prayer is general.
Supplication is specific.
Certain thing we have in our hearts. Prayer is general. Intercession is really for others.
Should always be accompanied by the giving of thanks. We learned that from the passage that was brought before us this afternoon. And Timothy?
So that prayer is general. We pray to God in a general way and for many things. But now when it comes to the gospel, he says, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest. And I think it's nice when remember that we we have that privilege of praying directly to the Lord Jesus, who's Lord of the harvest in connection with that harvest.
Not that we want to be legal about it, because most of the time we address the Father when their prayer seems even in a.
A prayer for the gospel. But I believe that we have a principle here, that we pray the Lord of the harvest, that he will send laborers into his harvest. And Brendan, when do we need a prayer like this? When did we need it more than we needed today?
We need to pray that the Lord will send laborers into His harvest. There is a need for this very thing this very day. 22nd verse of our chapter.
Your Lord taught them as one that had the forest. No question about where his authority came from. He was and is the Lord. But it seems comforting to me that in the one instance in the 13th chapter.
While he's away, the one who has gone into the fire country, he has given authority, has delegated authority so that we can go with the force of knowing that God is behind us too. Is that right? Yeah, that's Colossians. And the power of his might is put that way. So.
Elder or Deacon in that way?
Not a hierarchy. That's not the authority, is it?
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Goes right up to the head, to the Lord.
Word that gives the authority. I was thinking of First Peter chapter four. We have a similar thought there. First Peter chapter 4. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God, or the sayings of God. Any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
To whom be praised and dominion forever and ever.
Amen. You sometimes hear a comment. Well, everyone has as much right to speak as another.
None of us have any right to speak unless we have something from the Lord to say.
And it's a very solemn responsibility. Of course, the Scripture says let the other judge. So we're not the final judge. But there ought to be a consciousness in our souls when we speak that God has given us something to say and that we have the authority of his word for what we're saying. If not, I believe it's our business to be quiet.
We should have something from God and it has the authority of His Word.
For our own glory, not to show off any knowledge, but as it says that God in all things may be glorified. all-purpose of ministry is the glory of God and the blessing of His people or of sinners. I believe this is quite interesting. May I introduce a verse in in Luke 12 Connection what's just been said?
1241 Luke 1241.
Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.
Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler.
Over all that he had. Now I believe here we have a principle that's very important.
I know it's found in the Gospel of Luke, but still it fits the subject.
Because Peter isn't told. Now, Peter, you go to such and such a city, and you.
Preach there this was.
Definitely told in the acts to certain ones we know, but we're living in a day when faith must be an exercise and there has to be.
The discerning between soul and spirit. We get that on the 4th chapter of Hebrews.
We won't turn to it.
That is, I may have a desire in my heart to do a certain thing, but I have to consult the Word of God in the power of the Spirit. That is, I have to be there under the guidance of the Spirit of God.
For my directions, there isn't anyone going to say to me now you go to a certain city at a certain time and do a certain thing, but I'm guided by the Word of God and the principles of the Word of God.
And what is laid upon my heart and in the presence of God.
Uh, to provide meat in due season, if that happens to be the work that Peter was to do, well, then he was to provide me to do season. And that's a responsibility. And he, he had no doubt real exercises from time to time as to what meat would be in due season. And so that if the Saints might be edified by what is introduced.
In ministry. So that's an exercise of faith in the presence of God, but on the principles laid down on the Word of God.
I believe it's a very important thing.
25th song we have that says the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.
And and as I see it, there are many decisions that.
We face from day-to-day can be practical decisions of life, can be those in connection with the service of the Lord, but there are many decisions that we face where we don't have a definite scripture that we can turn to that specifically gives us the answer as to what the Lords mind is. The principles as we've had brought before us the principles of the Word of God are given to us to guide us and direct us in the path of faith.
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If I could use an example for the benefit of our young people here, that a decision might be called upon in your life.
As to where the Lord would have you to go to work, well, it may be that you have two cities before you, and in one city there's a gathering where you can meet with the Lord's people and remember the Lord Jesus and his death and seek to be an encouragement to the Lord's people. And in the other specificity, there's no meaning at all. Well, the principles of the Word of God forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the matter of some is, for example, would give you.
Principles of the Word of God to guide you in that particular decision. But suppose there were two places where you go, both of which there is a meeting.
Where you could be a health in both locations, where the type of job is one that in both cases you feel is commendable and one that a Christian could happily be engaged in. Now how are you going to decide which city to go to? Well, there is only one way and that is to be before the Lord in communion seeking the Lord's mind. And that's why it says the secret of the Lord. I believe it says the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.
To there seek to be guided by the Lord's eye, to have him bring before your soul just in communion.
Him communicating with your soul, what is the path of obedience? The mind of the Lord for you in that particular occasion. In that case, you wouldn't go and tell someone, Well, the Lord told me to go there. You might have a sense of it in your own soul. But that verse in First Corinthians 4 is in that connection where it says, I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified? But he that judgeth me is the Lord.
So if you have a definite scripture, we gather to remember the Lord Jesus and His death. This morning we had a definite scripture this due in remembrance of me. We had definite instructions in the Word about the proper way of gathering according to His Word. So we had something to follow. It was discerning His mind through His words and fulfilling it in obedience.
But when it's a question of.
Going to such and such a city where you have no definite Scripture, then we ought to always be very humble in speaking about it. The Lord can give us the confidence of it in our souls. Be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. But when it's talking about Speaking of it, then we have to be careful. We have to be humble. It's very easy for us to boast. And if we say.
Told me to go there. We're practically telling all our brethren and our friends. Well, you know, I'm just walking so near the Lord. I'm so much in his secret that I couldn't have missed his mind. He told me to do that. That kind of thing is spiritual pride, or it leads to that.
It's not found in the Word so that we can have that hostile faith. Have it to thyself before God. We can have that secret as You've called our attention in our souls. But let us not boast before others and say what the Lord told us to do when we don't have a Scripture.
In that 25th Psalm that says, The meek will he guide in judgment, the meek will he teach his way. They must be meek instead of proud about these things.
On this first instance.
How that the Lord meets Satan?
As it were at the very beginning.
And he takes away as we noticed in the.
Wilderness. He took away his armor when he trusted, but now he takes away the attack that the first attack upon the Lord. Here is this man possessed with the demon and the Lord.
Cast out the demon and now there's there's fame in the 28th verse.
So there is a temptation to the natural man immediately to say, well, now I have really gained a reputation here, I think I'll take advantage of it and I'll see if I can get some people together and, and, and make use of this now for the Lord. But no, the Lord, he goes into the House of Simon.
Why? Because he was directed by the Spirit of God and.
His activity here wasn't that which would correspond to the fame.
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No, it was a corresponding to true service, independence and obedience.
And So what does he find in Simon's house? Simon.
Had been called to serve the Lord Jesus, but he had trouble in his house.
Now, do you think the Lord Jesus is going to have someone go out and serve him and then have to carry all the worries of home with him? No, no. As soon as there's trouble in Simon's house, Simon turns and there's Jesus standing there to take care of his problems. This is beautiful.
Never an occasion.
For one who is sent on any mission but what the Lord will come in, and He's always there ready to meet the particular need of His people. We can count on it. We learn it from this scripture. He may not meet it the way we expect it, but He will meet it. And so we find that.
He entered into the House of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever and they tell him of her.
And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. And immediately the fever left her. She ministered unto them. Now that's Philippians ministry, we have some of it already.
We we just cast all of our burdens on the Lord.
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I was told of a brother years ago who was serving the Lord and as he left the house.
There was, there was hardly enough bread for the family, but he went out to serve the Lord just the same. And before the day was over there was bread in the family to take care of the family.
Others know of what I'm speaking here, but the Lord will never send a servant but what he sustains him and meets his need, and he'll meet the need of his home too. But what he wants us to do is to ask him, to ask him. And the problem arises. Do we ask him always say, well, I, I think I can take care of this myself some way. I'll make some arrangement, No.
Ask him and then they tell him of her.
And so the Lord just takes his hand and lifts her up.
And then what happens?
And the fever left her, and she ministered undo them.
Now she's serving. So by simply turning the matter over to the Lord, He takes care of the affairs of the household for Simon. And not only that, but she's raised up from her favor and she goes back to her service. Beautiful, isn't it Beautiful? Is there a suggestion to us in the 24th verse the way it's put when it says, what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?
Art thou come to destroy us?
I know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of God. I have taken from the way this demon spoke to the Lord, that there is the very real evidence here that he knew who the Lord was. But there was no understanding of the counsels of God, of the purposes of God, of how God was working. So he, he says, art thou come to destroy us?
Well, this was not the time for destroying these demons. Cast them out was true.
But it wasn't the time for the destroying of them. But they nevertheless knew who he was, that he was Jesus, the Holy One of God.
It seems to me that we find from the Scriptures that there is every evidence that Satan and the demons know who the Lord is. But over and over again Satan is tripped up and frustrated because he doesn't understand what God is working, what God's purposes are. Even what God was accomplishing in the cross. He had little understanding.
Of justice what God was working in his counsels and purposes the.
Pearl we singular eye in that same verse, and we don't know how many demons were possessed in this man.
We find it similarly with the man of the legions of legion of devils. We find unspoken of his eye and then as we it's difficult to see that sometimes the demon speaks through the man. Sometimes the man speaks himself as being under the power of the demons. And it's really hard sometimes in the record to distinguish.
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And but it it appears that the man himself becomes the mouthpiece of the demons at times. Sometimes it speaks himself as an individual.
Yeah, I think we see this in different instances. It's an awful thing, that demon possession and how a man comes under that power. Is there a suggestion to or or a principle brought out? What I've taken from this chapter in in three instances we have the one who is delivered from the unclean spirit. Then we have Simon Peters, wife's mother who is delivered from the fever.
And then we have the leper who is given positive instruction.
And who doesn't go by that instruction? And at least I have enjoyed thinking, thinking of it in this way, that first of all, we needed to be delivered from the power of the enemy. And the Lord Jesus had one risk. Grace has done that. But then we also need to be delivered from the, I might call it the fever of nature to have that rebuked too, because there is no more room for that fever of nature than there was for the demon.
Be occupied in the service of God, and so both have to be set aside, delivered first from the power of the enemy, and then given to see that, as I might say, nature or the flesh has no place in the things of God. It had to be rebuked too, and set aside. And then when we come down to the case of the leopard, we find that the Lord Jesus after cleansing him.
Says to him straightly charged him.
See thou say nothing to any man, but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded. No doubt there was a testimony here to who he was as Jehovah, the one who could cleanse leprosy, but nevertheless it is what he went out and began to publish it much at the blaze abroad. The matter in so much that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city. And that is that while we, as I say, we need to be delivered from Satan's power.
We need to see that the flesh has known in all its feverish activity, has no place also in the things of God, and then to see that the only real path for faith is in obedience to the Word. Here was this one. Even though he loved the Lord, even though he was grateful for what the Lord had done, his disobedience to the direct instructions the Lord gave him hindered the testimony rather than helped him and actually hindered the work that the Lord would have done.
Says it actually says that in so much that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city. Disobedience to the word can actually hinder the work of God. Well, it's even now the sun is setting. This is where we are today I believe there's a real voice for us in this next verse I am hurting a little because there are.
Main points here that I had in my heart when I suggested this chapter.
And there's much detail we could occupy ourselves with, but I'd like to call attention to some of these points that I feel are so important and not even.
There is such a thing you know as even in these present day of grace.
We are at that, even just at the time, just about the time when the Lord's coming.
And it's remarkable how the Spirit of God has revived the truth for us, and with it He's revived exercise of soul with many.
Even Elijah had to confess that there were 7000 that he didn't know about.
If there was exercise of soul the 7000 and there are many around us who are really believers and we don't know them, but that's to our shame a great deal. But here it's even.
And the sun is setting and what are we doing? What did they do?
These are very practical things, I believe.
They brought unto him all that were diseased. I memorized being I was in Tacoma once and my brother asked me if I'd go down to the street with him to preach. So we went down and he found.
Two or three soldier boys, he said, Will you come to the gospel with us? That was after the preaching was over, and they said sure.
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So he put him in the car and he took him to the room.
And when he got the room, why there was number one there? So he said, you just wait here for a moment and I'll go get the key.
So when he came back, they were gone.
He gets in his car and he goes back and gets three more and brings them back to the gospel. Now that's real energy of faith. He went back and got three more and he brought him to the gospel that night, and I was very much impressed by his diligence, his energy of faith. That would not be discouraged because the three had left, but he went back to get three more.
When the sun did set, they brought on him all that were diseased.
Them that were possessed with devils.
Here was the man, the man, Christ Jesus, the servant, the Son of God, and they knew that He was able for it. Now we know that the Lord is able to save souls even in this late hour.
And we have this happy privilege. We may not be able to do many things others can do.
But we have this happy privilege of bringing souls to the Lord Jesus in some way.
And it's a happy privilege to do so.
And.
All the city was gathered together at the door.
It makes us think of that little song that the children sing.
Christ being the door, Well, here it is, the door. I know this is a a long simpler line, but perhaps this is what we need tonight.
Simpler lines of truth being gathered at the door. What does it mean?
It'll it'll mean a great deal to a soul if there's one soul saved tonight in this room when the gospel goes out, it mean a great deal, and there should be rejoicing with us as there will be in heaven, if one soul is saved tonight.
What a happy thing it would be if someone here has brought someone to the door tonight in this little room. Lord wouldn't allow the enemy to be mixed with the work either, would he? Suffered not the devils to speak because they knew him.
Find Paul doing this in the 16th of Acts might have seemed very convenient to have that girl crying out these men are the servants of the Most High. God would show unto us the way of salvation was almost like a public advertisement for what was going on. And he might have thought this at least brings people together, but he didn't want any help from the enemy and I believe it's important for us.
God is going to accomplish His own purposes.
He gives us a work to do, but we never have to have the help of the enemy to do it. God will accomplish it. No man can come unto me with because the Father, except the Father which has sent me draw him. Sometimes there's the thought, well, we just got to do a few little things. The question is, are these things scriptural? If they are, well then we can follow the Word of God.
But to bring in our own ideas or anything of that is of the enemy.
To help along the work is really a hindrance in the end.
The message to Laodicea.
The Lord says, I counsel thee, Devi of me. Gold tried in the fire.
The thalamus be rich and white Raven and so forth. I believe that at least the thought that's committed itself to my heart is that there may be methods.
In carrying on the work of God.
That are dubious, but they will probably get results.
I believe the Lord would have us leave results to himself and if he uses someone else.
To get the results that we would like to have. Then let the other brother have that honor or and let us.
Seek the goal that is the glory of God. I believe in this case to honor Him and His word, if we.
He that knoweth to do good and knows it not, to him it is sin. So if we know scriptural principles, it will bring honor to the Lord.
And we?
Go across those principles, then we're going to lose out. I believe that's a spirit of Laodiceanism.
That is Luke warmness to the glory of God, he says. I counsel you by me, Gold cried in the fire to tell me it's the.
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Rich they were rich. Increase was good but.
No, they knew not that they were miserable and poor and blind, naked and so forth. We look over the fence and we see others getting good results. Souls are genuinely saved and we would perhaps like to try some of their methods.
But we know better from the word.
I just going to say it's interesting here to see how the Lord didn't suffer the devils to speak, but in the next verse we find him in a solitary place and they're praying. They could have, as we said, have used some of this publicity, but He did His Father's will. He was in total dependence upon Him, and so he goes into a solitary place and their praise.
And then we find.
Them saying, all men seek for thee, and we find the leper coming to him, and we find the Lord, the perfect obedient one. He would be dependent upon his father in that service. He didn't seek popularity. He wouldn't let the devil speak. But there are results in the end of the chapter.
The work is still going on, but it's going on in the path that his father had marked As for him. Now that expression early in the morning, we get that with Abraham.
And others.
And does it not suggest to us, although literally early in the morning would be good because?
One is fresh in the morning, but still, does it not suggest the energy of faith?
I noticed the in a home I was recently a little poem. Some of you may know it and I can't quote it, but it it was just in that line giving the Lord.
That part of your life early in the morning.
I believe that's very important, and especially young people.
Who remember that the Lord is entitled to that time, and not only that, but our lives are going to be richer.
If we're occupied with the Lord early in the morning, the first thing, give him his place early in the morning. But here we find the Lord rising.
In the morning, rising up a great while before day.
Find that.
Mary Magdalene was there a great while before day at the tomb, and she certainly was rewarded.
And she was occupied with his death. What a subject. But here the Lord is rising.
Great while before day in a solitary place, they're afraid.
Now the Lord had the mind of God, and the disciples did not.
In the 9th chapter of Luke we find the Lord praying.
Twice.
And the disciples were with him, and they were not praying.
And in that chapter they make several mistakes, or at least, shall we say, they miss his mind at least seven times.
But in the 11Th chapter.
They say, Lord, teach us to pray.
And so he answers them. Which of you shall have a friend?
And I believe that that is the answer to it. If we really believe that the Lord is a friend, then we will pray.
Otherwise, there's a sense of distance with us and we're not ready to go into his presence.
We're not ready to drop on our knees when we get home from work or school and justice for a moment get into his presence. We would if we regarded him as a friend.
All how many problems there are in life today?
And there's not a problem.
Too small, but what the Lord is interested in it and wants to hear about it, and He wants to take care of it for us. Well, if the center comes in his need by the Lord is ready to meet him.
Taught us how Eli said to Samuel, that when the Lord called, he was to say, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth. But when the Lord came and called Samuel, all he said was, Speak for thy servant heareth.
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Well, Lord didn't just want him to repeat a certain phrase, but He did. He did desire to hear the message, even though He didn't just phrase it the right way. And so we could tell the Center exactly how He should speak and tell him the very words to say. But there may be an omission in the way a thing is said.
But the Lord who looks on the heart knew what was in this man's heart.
His feeling of need and that he had come to the right person for that need. Well, to me that's very encouraging because very often we make mistakes and slips and I don't say things in just the right way. But isn't it encouraging? The Lord knows the heart. And could I say even more that if the servant is in communion with the Lord, he doesn't pick a person up just because he doesn't say exactly the right words, but he rather seeks to judge the.
State of soul. And in that way, very often you can be a help to a person even along things are not expressed the way you might feel is right.
Don't you think that the Lord will do as He said to his servants?
That he would give them.
Words to speak in the hour of their testing.
I remember in Ottawa one night after the gospel, there was a man standing at the back of the room.
And I asked him, I said, are you saved? He said no. I said, would you like to be saved? Oh, yes, I said, why aren't you saved? He says, I'm too timid. I don't know what to say.
Well, I said, would you like to go up in the little room? Remember you had a little room upstairs in the older meeting room.
So two brothers went up with him up in the little room.
And you ought to heard the lovely confession of Christ. It was a man who was too timid to speak. He was too. He didn't know what to say. He was too timid to speak to anyone.
And he gave a lovely confession in his prayer.
Of receiving the Lord as his Savior. And then he went around and came down and started shaking hands with people and telling him he can receive Christ as his Savior.
That was just an indication of how the Lord came in with a man who in himself was absolutely too timid to even speak to the Lord or confess him, and when he actually took the step, why he was at liberty so.
I believe that we need that simplicity of heart, and I believe Mark's Gospel suggests this to us.
One thing here that.
Is important to notice in connection with what's just been said about the leper.
That's very important to me.
That the Lord could have spoken to multitudes.
On this occasion his fame was spread abroad, but his instructions for the day were to go to this leper.
And this leper was healed. Now there's a lesson here for us.
We might feel that we have great opportunities in a certain place and in a certain way, but if we are before the Lord and we actually do the things that were instructed, Scripture says in as much as she know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
And so faith can recognize that the service done to the Lord if we are independence is going to meet its reward whether we see the results or not. And here this one leper.
Was saved as a result of the Lord.
Walking in complete dependence upon.
To His Father's will, and the disciples didn't understand it. Some have asked why the Lord told him not to publish it, but I believe it's interesting to notice that the Lord said this on more than one occasion when it was something done to the body. He never told anyone to be quiet as to what had been done for their souls. Now we know, of course, that the healing of leprosy is a picture of.
Cleansing from sin. But the actual fact was this man was a leper and he was cleansed.
It could talk a lot about what had been done for his body. And you'll hear people talk a great deal of something miraculous has been done for their body. Seemingly not ashamed to talk a great deal about that. But to say the Lord saved my soul for that man who was under the power of Satan to go home to his friends and say there's one who set me free.
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Well, this was really a testimony to what the Lord had done for his soul. It's always right that we should.
Here and I will tell what the Lord has done for my soul and other scripture says.
But we can do a great deal of talking about things that attract attention to ourselves and what has been done for us in a physical way or material way. God wants us to speak more of those things that have to do with our souls. I don't mean that we never mentioned the other, but.
This is rather striking in the Gospel of Mark that you find this to be a done what the Lord said to what a testimony it was.
To all those that may place that the priests were, that here was one among them who could cleanse the leopard, that was the proper testimony. The Lord wanted him to. That would have been a spiritual testimony of who the person was who was in their midst. Because our brother said he wasn't only the servant, he was the Sodom. Never, I suppose, that the priest ever had to invoke those commandments in connection with the cleansing of the leper.
Was a man he sent now to show who was really in their midst. It seems he didn't do that, but a lot of the other the popularity that would be given to himself, talking about himself.
And isn't it solemn that he had to say to those Pharisees, You both know who I am, and also was it where I've come from?
That was solemn, wasn't it, when they knew it, When they were acting contrary to the light that they had?